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Stories

Discover curiosities, treasures and the latest inspiring stories from our community and inside the Library

A boy and a girl read a book together on the couch
10 March 2020

Albert Ullin & the Little Bookroom

We pay tribute to Albert Ullin OAM, whose much-loved Little Bookroom shops sparked many Melbourne childrens' first encounters with books written especially for their age group.

Children in red uniforms hold up books while an older woman smiles at them
17 February 2020

Schools programs

Find out about the engaging learning experiences on offer in our Schools programs, which address Australia's falling literacy rates by fostering a love of reading from a young age.

children working at desk
12 February 2020

Meet the kids who co-designed Pauline Gandel Children's Quarter

Meet some of the enthusiastic young members of our Children's Advisory Committee who helped design the Pauline Gandel Children's Quarter.

children making and creating at tables
06 February 2020

Kids talk about libraries

From the mouths of babes: children talk about what libraries mean to them (prepare to be startled!).

people walking past pillared hall with central tables
19 December 2019

Revealing The Ian Potter Queen's Hall

Watch the stunning transformation of the Library's original 1856 reading room into the majestic The Ian Potter Queen's Hall.

A woman spins a cricket ball against a pink backdrop
17 December 2019

One object many stories: The Ashes

Listen to a fascinating talk on the stories and significance of cricket's 'sacred soot'.

smiling people seated in public space waving at camera
06 December 2019

Our new spaces are now open

Watch the grand opening of our new spaces!

05 December 2019

Discover your transformed Library

Your new sanctuary in the city is here to discover!

Photo of Morten Schmidt
03 December 2019

Designing a world-class library

Learn how world-class libraries are designed in this talk by Morten Schmidt, whose firm SHL co-led the design of the Library's new spaces.

Two books lay open on a pillow, their pages filled with cursive handwriting
30 November 2019

An eyewitness account of the Eureka Stockade

Read about historian Clare Wright's painstaking efforts to identify the anonymous author of a rare goldfields diary.

A woman and man play guitar in a grand, two-storeyed Victorian room
30 November 2019

The Orbweavers

Watch a video with 2016 Creative Fellows Marita Dyson and Stuart Flanagan from the Orbweavers, discussing their inspirational research into West Melbourne's waterways.

Sepia portrait of a woman in Victorian clothes
30 November 2019

The women who invented The Ashes Urn

Howzat! Gideon Haigh tells of two Australian women's pivotal contribution to a gentleman's game.